Disappearing stairway



T. N. BADGER AND W. G. SMIIH.

I DISAPPEARING STAIRWAY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, I918.

1 3 44, 37 1 v Patented June 22, 1920.

Z SHEETSSHEET l.

INVENTORS TMmasMBadg er I B William 615771116 We? mid T. N. BADGER AND W. G. SMITH.

DISAPPEARING STAIRWAY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23. I918.

1,344,371 PatentedJune22,1920.

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g I I 14 INVENTORS Thomas MBaiqer Walla/2 6.5M

iwglzm UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE. I

THOMAS N. BADGER, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, AND WILLIAM G. SMITH, OI" WALLACE, IDAHO.

DISAPPEARING STAIRWAY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS N. BADGER, of Berkeley, county of Alameda, State of California, and WILLIAM Gr. SMITH, of Wallace, county of Shoshone, State of Idaho, citizens of the United States, have invented new and useful Improvements in Disappearing Stairways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a stairway, and particularly pertains to a disappearing stairway construction. i

In building small houses, it is often desirable to utilize the attic space for a room, but this is prohibited by the limited space in the down-stairs room which preclude the possibility of building a stairway. \Vith this idea in view the present invention has been provided to supply a foldable stairway which may be projected into the attic and there concealed when not used and drawn therefrom when desired to provide means for ascending into the attic.

The present invention embodies a stairway, the side rails of which are hinged at a suitable point along their length to allow it to be folded up. The stairway is further provided with counterweight and sliding means supporting it to permit it to be moved upwardly through an opening in the ceiling of the room, said opening beingfthereafter closed by a door.

The invention is illustrated by way of ex} ample in the drawings in which- Figure 1 is a view. in front elevation, disclosingthe stairway as unfolded and in its lowermost position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View in side elevation, disclosing the detailed construction of the stairway and the manner in which it. is projected through the opening in the ceiling.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation, illustrating the stairway as. completely folded and in its concealed position. I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary-view, disclosing the hinged connection between the stairway sections and the catchby which theyare rigidly secured when unfolded.

Fig. 5 is a view in transverse section, d s-. closing the stairway as foldedand support ed above the ceiling of the room andfur'ther illustrating the latches by which itis supported. I I V Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View in perspec- Specification of Letters Patent. t t n 22, 192

1918. Serial 170,230,323.

tive, illustrating the latch members for securing the side rails of the stairway in their unfolded position. v

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view, showing one of the latches by which the stairway is supported in its folded position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 101() indicate ceilingjoists which are secured parallel to eachother' in the usual manner and are covered by a flooring 11. An opening 13 is formedthrough the ceiling, preferably lengthwise between the joists, but it may also be arranged crosswise of same, if necessary. Hingedly secured at. one end of the opening 13, as at 13?, is a stairwaysection, consisting of a pair of side frames 14 and tread or step sections 15. Risers may also be employed, if desired, but are in this instance eliminated.

Hingedly secured, as at 16, to the lower end of the stairway section ltis a secondstairway section 16. lhis is also provided with steps and is adapted to be extended to form a continuation of the upper stairway pose of rigidly supporting thestairway se'ctions, when lowered, a pair of bracing legs 19 hasbeen provided. These are hingedly secured to the, lower stairway section as are the legs of a folding ladder and they are rigidly secured in their extended position by means of a. pair of braces 20, arranged one on each side of the stalrway.

,For the purpose of further insuring rigidity of the stairway, when it is extended or lowered, a pair of latches .17 has been provided. The latches 17 are secured to the side frames of the upper stairway section, as at 18 Each latch comprises a spring arm'18 and a catch 17, and itcan readily be seen that they may be swunginto or out of engagement with notches 17 a formed in the lower face or the side frames forming the lower stairway section. The latchesare arranged one on each side of the stairway in alinement with the side frames and they are preferably connected by a cross-bar 17 to permit them to be released in unison when it is desired to foldth'e stairway;tha't is, it is only necessary to exert pressure against the bar 17 b to release the latches.

For" the purpose of counterbalancing the stairway whileit is being lowered orraised,

one of two methods or both may be employed. In one instance the side frames 14 of the upper stairway section are extended beyond the hinges 13 to a point adjacent to the rafters 21. A counterweight 23, preferably constructed of concrete, is here suitably secured to the extended frames and a stop 22 may also be employed to prevent the stairway, when lowered, from swinging beyond a predetermined angle before the lower stairway section is unfolded.

The other method consists in attaching one or more cables to the stairway and passing said cables over guide sheaves 30 and 31. The free end of the cable is attached to a counterweight 32, also con-' structed of concrete, and a stop 32 may be employed to limit the upward movement of the counterweight and limit the angular movement of the stairway when it is lowered. A pipe section may be inserted in the concrete when it is cast and guide wires 34 may extend through said. pipe to guide the counterweight in its up and down movement. The stairway is provided with a hand rail 24, supported by side posts 25, and is also provided with three or more joists 26, to which is secured a panel 27; this panel being so spaced in relation to the stairway that it will lie flush with the ceiling in a sightly manner when the stairway is folded.

One end of the stairway, as previously described, is secured and supported by the hinges 13 The opposite end of the stairway must also be supported particularly in the raised position, and this is accomplished by providing a pair of latches 41, one at each side of the upper section of the stairway (see Fig. 5). These latches are springactuated and are adapted to normally project into notches cut in the upper sides of the rafters 10. Each latch has attached thereto a cord 41*, which cords terminate in a ring 36 hung just below the panel 27. If it is desired to lower the stairway, it is only necessary to employ a rod 35, on one end of which is secured a hook 35 This rod may, of course, be kept within convenient reach and is only engaged with the ring 36 when it is desired to lower the stairway. A slight pull on the rod releases the latches 41, thus permitting the stairway in a folded condition to swing about the hinges 13 to the position shown in Fig. 2. The lower stairway section is here unfolded and the legs 19 extended to support it. The latches 17 automatically engage the notches. 17 when the lower section is unfolded. thereby rigidly locking said sections together; the

sta1rway in its extended position being further supported by the legs 19 and by the stops 22 and 32 If it is desired to refold and raise the steps at any time, it is only necessary to fold up the legs 19 and release the latches 17 by pressing inwardly on the cross-bar 1 7*. The stairway section l6 may then be folded over on the upper stairway section and the two may be swung about the hinges 13" into the raised position shown in Fig. 3 where the latches 41 automatically engage the notches made for their reception in the rafters 10. The rod 35 is, of course, also employed when the stairway is raised as a slight pressure must be exerted during the raising of the stairway.

In order to entirely conceal. the stairway opening, a molding strip 39 is placed around the marginal edge of the opening and is provided to secure an overlapping piece of fabric 4:0. This fabric will be forced into the joint between the panel and the opening when the panel is raised and will thus form a tight closure.

It will be seen that the device here disclosed is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture and will prove a desirable stairway, as it can be lowered and extended into a hallway or room where there is comparatively little space and may be folded and raised out ofthe way when desired.

We also wish it understood that the mate rials and finish of the several parts of the device may be such as the experience and judgment of the manufacturer may dictate.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A disappearing stairway adapted to swing'through an opening in a ceiling, comprising a' pair of side rails hinged midway their length to one side of said opening, one portion of said rails adapted to swing downwardly through the ceiling opening, a plurality of steps rigidly secured between said rails, an auxiliary stair section secured to the lower end of said rails and adapted to swing downwardly to bear upon the floor and to complete the length of stairway, and

stop, means against which the upper ends of the rails rest when the stairway is in'its unfolded position.

2. A disappearing stairway adapted to be projected through a ceiling opening, comprising a pair of side rails hinged midway of their length to one side of the opening, the upper portion extending above the ceiling and the lower portion adapted to swing beneath the ceiling, a plurality of steps carried rigidly by said lower portion of the rails, a supplemental section of stairway hinged to the lower end of said rails and adapted to rest when unfolded upon the floor, and a ceiling member carried beneath the lowermost portion of themain rails to swing into the ceiling opening and close the same when the stairway is not 111 operation.

3. A disappearing stairway adapted to extend through a ceiling opening, comprising a pair of side rails secured midway their opening, a plurality of steps fixed to the lower portion of said swinging rail, a sup-' plemental step section hinged to the lower end of said swinging portion and adapted to be folded to be projected through the opening, and a ceiling member supported beneath the stairway rails and provided to close the ceiling opening when the stairway has moved to its uppermost position.

4:. In a disappearing stairway, a pair of side rails hinged at points midway their length from the upper edge of an opening through which said rails are adapted to swing, a counterweight upon the upper end of said rails, a plurality of steps formed between the side rail portion extending through the opening, a stair section pivotally secured to the contiguous end of the rail portion, and a ceiling closure carried by the lower swinging portion whereby the side rails may swing upwardly through the ceiling opening thereafter the opening will be closed. o I

5. Ina disappearing stairway, a pair of parallel rigid side rails of a length considerably greater than the length of the opening through which said stairway is adapted to swing, hinged connections between these rails intermediate of their length and the upper-edge of the opening through which said rails swing, a plurality of steps aflixed between the lower portion of said swinging rail, a counterbalance carried by the upper swinging portion of said rails, a supplemental stair section hinged to the lower rail portion, and a closure secured upon the lower swinging portion of said rails and adapted to close the opening in the ceiling when the rails are swung upwardly to their concealed position.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

THOMAS N. BADGER. WILLIAM G. SMITH.

WVitnesses tosignature of Thomas N. Badger: I c

JOHN H; HERRING,

G. M. BALL. 1 

